A hospital spokesperson has confirmed that actress Jessica Falkholt remains in a critical condition following the horrific Boxing Day car crash that killed her parents and sister.
The 29 year old Home and Away star found fame as Hope Morrison in the long-running soap that has created the opportunity for her to be a part of her first feature film, a supernatural thriller, Harmony.
On Friday morning she had her life support machine turned off, the day after the funeral of her two parents and sister. This comes more than two weeks after the crash on the New South Wales south coast.
Both of Falkholt’s parents, Lars, 69, and Vivian, 60, tragically died at the scene as the car blew up in flames not long after emergency services arrived. Her younger sister Annabelle, 21, was pulled from the wreckage but tragically died in hospital on December 29 following severe injuries. All 3 family members were farewelled at a funeral on January 10.
The crash occurred on the Princes Highway near Ulladulla at approximately 10:45am on December 26 when a 4WD crossed onto the wrong side of the road colliding heavily with the Falkholt’s car. The driver of the 4WD, Craig Anthony Whitall, 51, also died at the scene.
According to The Daily telegraph, Mr Whitall was a serial traffic offender with over 60 cases to his name. He had even previously served jail time, including for driving without a licence. The man was supposedly on his way from a methadone clinic in Nowra when the crash occurred.
At the Falkholt’s funeral, many were keen to pay tribute to the family highlighting the love they had for each other and for others. One woman even cited the irony of the tragedy to occur saying that Lars Falkholt was “such a careful driver”.
Vivian Falkholt’s younger brother, Paul Ponticello, said that they could take a small bit of comfort in knowing that they will all be together.
Annabelle Falkholt’s best friend, Brittany Macchetta said that Annabelle had a strong passion for travel, Harry Potter and the arts even quoting a line from Harry Potter in her speech, “The ones who love us never really leave us, you can always find them in here (the heart)”, highlighting her love for her best friend.
Jessica Falkholt’s first feature film, Harmony, is set to be released later this year. She was also due to star in a new crime thriller for Channel 9, Bite Club, in the coming months.